The Flash Season 5, Episode 10: "The Flash & the Furious"Review

Warning: Full spoilers for The Flash, Season 5, episode 10, "The Flash & the Furious" follow.

The Flash’s recent 100th episode may have been somewhat underwhelming, but it did at least lay the groundwork for a much more compelling story direction in the remainder of Season 5. Unfortunately, that episode’s refusal to wrap up the Cicada storyline right then and there also made it clear the writers aren’t in any hurry to take full advantage of Eobard Thawne’s return. First we have to slog through more “meta of the week” episodes before getting to the good stuff.

The best that can be said for the return of Joslyn Jackam/Weather Witch is that there was an earnest attempt made to bring depth and nuance to a very underdeveloped villain. The problem, though, is that the show pulled a complete 180. One episode Joslyn is trying to callously murder her father, the next she’s deeply remorseful and desperate for a second chance. Can you really blame Nora for wanting to throw her back in prison and be done with it? This episode counts on viewers have an emotional attachment to the character that hasn’t been earned. The whole “can villains ever be made to change?” angle still worked, just not as well as it might have.

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It didn’t necessarily help that new villain Silver Ghost (Gabrielle Walsh) didn’t stand out much in terms of either personality or abilities. The ability to control engines is a weirdly specific, even unremarkable power, and one that led to some fairly bland car chase scenes. If we never have to sit through another armored car robbery in an Arrowverse show, it’ll be too soon. Though granted, it was fun seeing two villains hijack a technologically advanced WayneTech car. Clearly the gates have swung open when it comes to Gotham City references post-Elseworlds.

This week’s storyline mainly succeeded when it came to exploring Nora’s current emotional struggle. We don’t know what exactly she and Thawne have been up to this entire time, but it’s clear she put a lot of faith in a man she’s coming to realize she doesn't know at all. Seeing her learn to find faith in others and accept that change is possible helped bring the episode to a strong finish. Plus, the simple fact that she got to take point while her father was holed up reading trashy romance novels helped. After so many episodes of Barry showing Nora the ropes, it was only fair that she got the chance to succeed on her own for a change.

And though the Thawne scenes only bookended this episode, the idea that we may be looking at the redemption of Eobard Thawne is a big selling point right now. This is clearly a post-Crisis on Earth-X Thawne, one who’s feeling the weight of his many crimes and finally remembering why he looked up to Flash in the first place. The ticking clock angle adds an added sense of urgency to his desire for redemption. We’ve seen Thawne as the antagonist enough times on both this show and Legends that there really needs to be a change in direction if he’s going to play a major role in the Arrowverse again. That appears to be exactly what’s happening.

Exit Theatre Mode

I was also pleasantly surprised to see just how much I enjoyed the Caitlin/Cisco subplot this week. I’ve come to dread any Caitlin-centric storylines over the past couple years, as the series never seems to know how to handle her and her frosty alter ego anymore. Having resolved the mystery of Caitlin’s father and the origins of Killer Frost, this episode felt like a bit of a fresh start for the character. The idea of a metahuman cure could be used for all sorts of new stories, bringing to mind the mutant cure from the X-Men comics and movies.

It’s also interesting to see Cisco embracing the idea of eliminating his powers and going back to being an ordinary human again. I’ve often complained about the Arrowverse’s seemingly pathological need to transform every supporting character into a metahuman sooner or later. For once, we may see that trend reversed. And why not? Cisco was a great character before he became Vibe. Arguably better. I see no harm in the series trying to get back to basics in that regard.

The Verdict

The Flash didn't make the biggest splash as it returned for the second half of Season 5. This episode attempts to lend new depth to an existing villain and introduce a new one, but neither attempt is terribly successful. However, this episode does succeed when it comes to exploring supporting characters like Cisco and Nora. Plus, the promise of a very different sort of Eobard Thawne storyline is all the incentive anyone should need to keep watching right now.

Okay

The Flash's midseason premiere is a bit bland, but bigger things loom on the horizon for the series.